FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE HISTORY - 2018

CPCS approved for 2.0 hours of credit from CAFL.

Legislative history is a critically important advocacy tool in Federal Court when statutory language is ambiguous and begs for clarification. Federal judges invite and apply the use of legislative history to avoid incongruous results, illuminate drafting errors, determine specialized meanings, or choose reasonable interpretations of politically controversial statutes.

In these and other instances, Congress’s intent must be inferred from the statute’s legislative history, which successful advocates must stitch together from a variety of sources including:

• The text of the bill and proposed amendments that were accepted or rejected
• Transcripts of hearings conducted by Congressional committees responsible for the bill
• Committee reports written about the bill

Transcripts of House and Senate floor debates related to the bill Alex Philipson, who has taught classes in appellate writing at New England Law Boston and Northeastern University Law School, and Senior Reference Attorney Brian Harkins will show the “how” and “where” to find and interpret these and other sources of legislative history.

This program will teach advocates the research skills necessary to reconstruct a statute’s legislative history for use in pleadings, briefs and oral arguments.

Online registration is encouraged. For assistance, questions on group discounts, accommodations requests, special billing, program content, out-of-state CLE credits, and general CLE information contact Michael Saporito at 617-226-1343 or msaporito@socialaw.com. Space is limited. Registrations accepted in order of receipt. Same day registrations are $5.00 extra. Registration fees are non-refundable. Registrants for this program acknowledge that during the program their photographic or videographic images may be incidentally taken; registrants agree that the submission of their registrations for this program constitutes their written consent to the Social Law Library’s use of any such image in print and online materials solely for promotion of the Library’s noncommercial CLE seminars and other educational events and activities.